Street-sweeping machine



A. SCHROEDER. STREET SWEEP'NG MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 1. I919 Patented May 11, 1920.

6 SHEETS-SHEET l- EN T OR.

A. SCHROEDER. STREET SWEEPING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED um. I, 1919.

Patented May 11, 1920.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 2- M: INVENTOR.

A. SCHROEDER. STREET SWEEPING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. I. I919.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 3- Patented May 11, 1920.

PM a M4) IN V EN TOR.

65 ATTORNEY.

A. SCHROEDER. STREET SWEEPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I. ISIS. Patent! l1,

6 SHEETS-SHEET 4- Ti 57 fi gvmvroa A. SCHROEDER. STREET SWEEPING MACHINE. APPLICATION man ma. 1. Isle.

Patented May 11, 1920.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

A. SCHROEDER.

STREET SWEEFING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 1, 19:9.

Patented May 11, 1920.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 6- M} S INVENTOR.

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Arrows?! i 25 provedemeans i of Fig. 2.: Fig. 6' is a view 20% theassembled H UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT 'SCHBOEDER, OF PIQUA, DHIOQASSIGNOB OF ONE-HALF 'TOHOWARD 0. ROGERS,

"F UDIUMBUSYOHIO.

"S'I'BEET SWEEPING- MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 11', .1920.

Appitcatiomflled March 1, 1919. Serial No. 280,165.

. Toall whom z't-may concern.-

.Be it knownthat I,IALBERT Sounonnnn, a citizen of the United States; residing at Piqua, in the county of Miami-andiState 01' Ohio, have invented certain new: anduseful Improvements in Street-Sweepin Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new :and. useful improvements in street .cleaning machines. 10 Theobjects of the invention form of broom or brush arrangement which wpermitsi the broomsv or brushes to adjust tit-themselves to the unevennessof the street or over which the machine travels in The front end of the allows the 15 pavement doing its work.

broom= frame is flexible and brooms or brushes to enter any in the street. Secondly, a further object is to 2o-provide an improved form of suction nozzle --which is so constructedand arranged that it will l-ikewise accommodate itself to the =deor unevenness of the street. a further object is to provide imfor adjusting the broom or brushes and fourthlyyto. provide an improvedsweeping and dust collecting uniohine'which is comparatively simple in con structiom efiicient in operation and isde- 30 sirable from the standpoint of manufacture.

i -pressions Thirdly Preceding a more particular description of my improved street cleaning machine ref- 7 erence is madeto the-accompanyingldrawings ()fWlllGh Figure l-is Fig; 2 is a side casing appearing'ini section. 3 is a rearelevation of themaohine. Rig. his a sectional view-0n the line 1-1 of Fig. 2.

5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 "parts of thesuotion nozzles. Big. 7 is atop plan view mt the dust pan.-

45. tail view of'the ends "of the dust pan. Eigs.

l0 and 11 are detail views oftheindivi'dual correepondi'ing. iparts.

Referning to F gs. 1 land 2,..A represents are several, first, to providem such amachme an improved depressions artop planeview of 35 the machine the casing appearing.insection.

velevation thereof with-the Fi Sis asection on the line8--8 of Fig: 7. ifig. 9 is a de--' specifications ahddrawmgs similanwreference characters indicate the real-end of an auto truck upon which the forward end of the machine is mounted. The said machine is provided with a main frame consisting of side members 1-2 which are connected by cross members 3, 4, r 5; 6, 7 and 8. The front of the said frame thus constituted is provided with: a fifth wheel 9 which connects the sweeper with the truck. -The rear end of the'said machine is supported by wheels 10 mounted on an axle 11 under the influence of .cushionsprings 13 which together with the axle 11 are mounted in brackets 12 dependingfromvtheside members 1 and 2 of the machine frame.

Mounted on the cross members 41 and 5 at the forward end .of the sweeper is an internal combustion engine or motor 14: which is instrumental in furnishing power for the sweeping, the dust, and'the dust.c' ollecting mechanisms. The motor 14 is connected, by means of-sprockets 15 and chains 16, with a shaft 17 journaled in hearings on the-side members land 2 and side brackets 18.

' Freely pivoted on the outenendsofthe shaft This the main sweeper fn'ame consist- 'ing of side arms 19 the lower ends of which :are provided with castings 20 which: form the bearings for a shaft 21, see Fig. 14. 1 The shaft 21 extends the width of the sweeper frame and mounted thereon are a series of individual pivotal brush frames 22 and sprockets 23. The free ends of the frames 22 are provided with shafts .241 which ;support.sprockets mounted-in alinement withthesprockets 23. K Passing around. each sprocket 23 :and corresppnding sprocket 25 are sprocketchains 26 w ichsupport brooms or brushes 27. There are a set of brushes 27 for. each frame 22 which arrangement .per- 'mits the forward ends of each collection of brushes to accommodate themselves to any .nnevenness ofthe street; thereby providing for the sweeping out of ruts, depressions, etc. The lower'run of the chains 26. move toward the front end of the machine thereby sweeping :the dirt inthe direction in which the machine is moving. Thebrushes .are driven through a. chain-28 mounted on the ieft' side of the machine and passing around a.sprocket 29 on the shaft .17 and a a sprocket 30 on the shaft 21. The brushes bearaor, press against. the surface of the astreet'through'the aidoftheir weight and ,..the-weight of the frames carrying the same. Thispnessureis regulated by the following means: The castings 20 are provided with extensions 31 connected to cranks 32 by rods 33. The said cranks 32 are freely mounted on a shaft 34 which is in turn mounted on the cross members 7 and are adapted to be elevated by pins 35 on a worm gear 36 on one side and on a crank 37 on the other side of the machine, see Fig. 4. The crank 37 and gear 36 are rigidly attached to the shaft 34 and are adjusted by a worm 38 in mesh with the gear 36. The worm 38 is mounted on a shaft 39 journaled in bearings 40 in the ends of the cross members 7 and is provided with a square end adapted to receive a well known form of hand crank. As the cranks 32 rest upon the pins 35, the brushes may be elevated to place them out of operation without disturbing the position of the pins 35 and the sweeping pressure adjustment of the brushes. The brushes are elevated to place them out of o eration by the followin means: In operative relation with the on s of the shaft 21 are castings 40 shown in detail in Figs. 12 and 13. The said castings 40 are provided at their lower ends with elongated openings 41 which receive the shaft 21. The upper ends of the castings 40 are provided with openings 41 which receive rods 42 and upon which the said castings are slidably mounted. The rods 42 are mounted in triangular frames 43 which in turn are mounted on the ends of a channel bar 44 which bar extends the width of the machine. As shown in Figs. 1, 12, 13 and 14 the castings 40 are provided with extensions 99 supporting a rod 100 extending throu h the frames 22 and which rod engages an elevates the frames when the swee ing mechanism is elevated. The rod 100 is also instrumental in preventing the frames rotating on the shaft 21 thereby maintaining the brushes in their proper position.

As shown in Fig. 4, the channel bar 44 is vertically movable and is provided with guide rods 45 that are slidably mounted in guides 46 on the side members 2'and he castings 40 are slidable on the rods 42 to compensate for the radial movement of the shaft 21 around the shaft 17. The

channel bar 44 is raised and lowered by cranks 47 provided with extensions 48 which enter the channel bar and are mounted on shafts 49 as shown in Fig. 4. The shafts 49 are journaled in bearings 50 on the cross members 7 and are provided with worm gears 51 in mesh with worms 52 mounted on a shaft 53 which is supported in the cross members 7 see Fig. 4. The shaft 53 ex tends to the side of the machine and is provided with a square end adapted to receive a well known hand crank by means of which the said shaft is rotated and the channel bar 44 and brushes are raised and lowered. The dirt is swept forward into the bottom of a casing 54 supported by the main frame of the machine and the said dirt is conducted by an inclined apron constructed as follows: see Figs. 7, 8 and 9. The said casing 54 supports a rod 55 upon which are pivoted links 56 which carry a shaft 57 upon which end members 58 are mounted. The members 58 are provided with extensions 59 engaging the tops of the links 56 and which extensions are instrumental in maintaining the parts in an angular relation thereby permitting them to buckle when the machine moves rearward and the apron engages an obstruction in the street. Mounted between the links 56 and the members 58 are apron portions 59, 60 and 61 which have a bin ed connection at the rod 55 and shaft 57 and are instrumental in conducting the dirt to the casing. The lower edge of the portion 61 is provided with reinforcements 62 to prevent excessive wear.

The apron thus constituted is provided with side guides 63 which direct the dirt to the central portion of the bottom of the casing 54 where it is massed in a position to be effectually picked up by a conveyer to be hereinafter described.

When the brushes are elevated to place them out of operation the apron is also elevatedby rods 64 connected to the side members 19 and the shaft 57 of the apron. The dirt deposited in the bottom of the casing 54 is elevated and deposited in a receptacle by the following means: See Fig. 5. The bottom corners of the casing 54 are provided with circular flanges 65 around which roller sprocket chains 66 pass. On their upper run the said chains pass over sprockets 67 and circular flanges 68. The flanges 68 are mounted in a frame 69 supported on the side members 2 and 3. Also mounted on the frame 69 are bearings 70 which receive a shaft 71 upon which the sprockets 67 are mounted. The sprockets 67 drive the chains 66 and are rotated from the motor 4 through a sprocket 72, chain 73, sprocket 74, shaft 76 mounted in bearings 75, and gear 77 in mesh with a worm 78 on the shaft 17. The chains 66 carry a plurality of buckets 79 which on their lower run scoop up the dirt in the bottom of the casing 54, and on their upper run deposit the dirt in the mouth 80 of a receptacle 81. The mouth 80 of said receptacle is located in the frame 69 while the receptacle is supported by a frame 82 mounted in the main frame of the sweeper. The receptacle 81 is mounted in an inclined position which allows the dirt to gather at the rear end thereof and to be easily discharged therefrom throu h a door 83 at the rear of the machine. T e dust not raised by the brooms and remaining deposited on the street is collected by the following means: See Figs. 1, 2, 6, 10. and 11. The

sweeping mechanism proper is surrounded by a curtain 84 which prevents the dust escaping. The extensions 31 of the castings 20 are connected by a rod 84 upon which the supports of the individual suction nozzles are mounted. Each of such supports consists of an upper member 85 pivotally attached to the rod 84 and a lower member 85 slidingly mounted on the upper member. The lower members upon which the suction devices are directly supported are held in their extended position by springs 86. his arrangement permits the suction devices to contract when the machine moves rearward. The lower supporting members 85 are provided with reinforcements 87 to strengthen the same and withstand wear, and on the backs thereof are mounted suction devices 88 which are opened at their lower ends. The said suction devices are connected with a vacuum device which allows them to draw in the dust collected behind the curtain 84* and left deposited on the street. As the suction nozzles are individually mounted on the rod 84 they may accommodate themselves to any unevenness in the surface of the street. The vacuum device consists as follows: The suction devices 88 are connected with a suction header 89 by means of flexible tubes 90. The header 89 forms one end of a suction duct 91 the other end of which is connected to a suction fan 92 mounted in the main frame of the machine. The fan 92 is driven from the motor 14 by a belt 93 which passes over suitable pulleys. The said fan is provided with an exhaust pipe 94: which extends upwardly and discharges into a chamber 95 formed by a roof 96 and a deck 97. the latter mounted on the frame 82 see Fig. 2. The deck 97 is provided with suitable openings under which are mounted removable porous bags 98. The air discharged by the fan passes out of the machine through the meshes of the bags while the dust remains therein.

Having described my invention I claim:

1. In a machine of the character specified, the combination with a main supporting frame, of a shaft mounted therein, a plurality of individual supporting frames pivotally mounted on said shaft, sprockets carried by said shaft, sprockets carried by said pivotal frames, chains passing around said sprockets, brushes carried by said chains, and a bar passing through said. pivotal frames and adapted to limit the movement of said frames.

2. In a street sweeping machine, the combination with a main sweeper frame pivot ally mounted in the machine at its forward end, and a transverse shaft mounted in the lower end of said main sweeper frame, of a series of individual brush frames mounte on said transverse shaft which constitutes a common pivot therefor, and which are adapted to swing relatively to and independently of said main sweeper frame, a series of horizontally traveling brushes mounted in each of said individual frames, and means connected with the individual frames for regulating the tension of the said brushes relatively to the surface being swept thereby.

In a street sweeping machine, the combination with a main sweeper frame pivotally mounted in the machine frame at its upper end, and a transverse shaft mounted in the lower end of said sweeper frame, of a series of individual frames pivotally mounted on said transverse shaft and adapted to swing thereon relatively to and independently of the pivot of the main sweeper frame, a series of horizontally traveling brushes mounted in each of the individual frames, means connected with the lower portion of the main sweeper frame for elevating the same and therewith the brushes, and means connected with the individual frames for adjusting the tension of the brushes relatively to the surface to be swept thereby.

4. In a street sweeping machine, the combination with a main sweeper frame pivotally mounted in the frame of the machine, of a series of individual brush frames pivotally mounted in said main sweeper frame and having swinging movement independent of the pivot of the main sweeper frame, a series of horizontally traveling brushes mounted in said individual frames, a series of suction devices mounted in said main sweeper frame in proximity to said brushes, and means connected with the main sweeper frame for elevating the brushes and suction devices together.

5. In a street sweeping machine, the combination with a main sweeper frame pivoted at its upper end in the frame of the machine and a series of individual brush frames pivotally mounted in. the lower portion of said main sweeper frame and having a swinging movement around their pivotal connection with said main sweeper frame and independent of said main sweeper frame, of a series of suction devices, a series of supports mounted on the main sweeper frame in proximity to the brushes and upon which said suction devices are mounted, each of said supports comprising two parts one of which is contractible in its relation to the other.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ALBERT SCHROEDER. 

